


The Fundamentals Of Healing

by Theroguetennant



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Healers, Healing, Kindness, Multi, On a worldwide basis, but it gets better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 21:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16049405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theroguetennant/pseuds/Theroguetennant
Summary: Twelve years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Cho finds herself back at the wizarding school, applying for a rare opportunity to learn from the school's Matron, Madam Pomfrey. She's not the only one either; two faces from her past have also applied: Hannah Abott, essentially a stranger, and Draco Malfoy, ex-Death Eater. Together, they will learn what they can and hopefully overcome themselves in the process. The world is damaged-- it needs as many healers as it can get.Basically: "What if Harry Potter was a medical drama?"





	The Fundamentals Of Healing

Cho fidgeted nervously as the madam looked her over, and for the fiftieth time that day, she wondered if she had not been mistaken in her sudden career change. 

Well, she said sudden, but she supposed she’d been building up to it for years. Where nearly everyone from her time at Hogwarts had gone on to the Ministry, she’d decided to try her hand at spellcrafting. That had been okay for a couple of years, until one of her colleagues had taken it upon himself to take credit for the spells she’d created. She’d quit shortly after. She’d thought about joining the Ministry after that, she really had, but her mum worked in the ministry and that made things awkward. 

So, she went from job to job, helping where she could and where she was needed, until a very kind witch told her she would be a good healer. No better options had presented themselves, so here she was. Standing in front of Madam Pomfrey, wondering if the woman would take her on as an apprentice.

It wasn’t like she didn’t have options.

Cho inspected the other healer in the room. Hannah Abott. The girl had been in Hufflepuff a year below her, if she was recalling correctly. There was supposed to be another candidate for the matron apprenticeship, but whoever she was, she hadn’t shown up yet. Cho couldn’t help but feel bad for her. This was a great opportunity.

Madam Pomfrey inspected both of them stringently. Cho did her best not to sweat. 

I’m good. I’m good enough to be here and I’m good enough to get in.

It was really weird, being back in Hogwarts. After the war, she’d wanted nothing more than to get as far away from the place as possible. She’d gone on a trip across the U.S.A, got her first job, met her ex-- but all of it had led her back here, to a sun-lit room in Hogwarts’ hospital wing. She hadn’t been in here that many times herself, save for a single mortifying incident in her third year she would never mention to anyone.

Madam Pomfrey stopped right in front of Cho. Looked her right in the eye. And then she smiled.

“It’s nice to see you, Miss Chang.” She turned towards Hannah and inclined her head. “You as well, Miss Abbott.”

Cho released a breath she hadn’t even known she had been holding. Hannah did, too. This version of Madam Pomfrey was a lot nicer than she remembered. 

The matron clasped her hands behind her back.

“There’s one of you missing, I believe. Shall we give them five more minutes to arrive? That seems fair.”

Cho nodded fervently. Whatever Madam Pomfrey said. Cho didn’t just need this job-- she wanted it. She wanted to learn from the best matron this side of Russia. She wasn’t going to begrudge the others from wanting the same.

The seconds ticked by slowly as they waited. And waited. Cho was just about convinced the third candidate wasn’t going to show up. And then they did. Rather loudly, actually. Hannah and Cho turned around just in time to see a thin blonde man trip over the stack of chairs near the door. 

Cho raised an eyebrow. It only got higher as she realized who the man was. Draco Malfoy. Son of a Death Eater, come to work at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. To work on and around small children. What could go wrong?

“Ah, there he is. Over here, Mr. Malfoy. Come and join your peers.”

Draco stopped trying to return the chairs to the upright position and instead stood up straight, his face as red as anything. How had Draco Malfoy of all people ended up here? How had he gotten through Healing School? More importantly, why would he want to be a healer? He was from one of those old pureblood families. He probably still believed in that blood purity nonsense.

Yeah, he made Cho uncomfortable to say the least.

Even more so when he joined Cho’s side in front of Madam Pomfrey. Cho did her best to avoid staring at him overmuch.

Madam Pomfrey clapped her hands together. 

“Ah. So good of the three of you to join me. You really don’t know how happy it makes me to see such enthusiasm for the position.” She positively beamed as she addressed them, her hands clasped at the base of her neck. “I’ve been working at Hogwarts for the better part of four decades, and as much as I love the children, I think it’s just about time for me to move on. I want to pass on my knowledge before I go, and I want to find a suitable replacement-- I won’t leave the care of these students to just anyone, you know!’ She shook her head.

“Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself. As you know, I am Madam Pomfrey-- but you may call me Poppy. We are all adults here, and we shall treat each other as such.”

Cho nodded. What else could she do, but nod? Sweat was beginning to form on the back of her neck-- so annoying. She paid rapt attention to every single one of Madam Pomfrey-- of Poppy’s words. Oh, that was gonna take some getting used to.

“I realize the application said there would be just one position for apprenticeship open, but I’ve reconsidered. I think it would be fascinating if all three of you worked with me over the next few months. It will also give me a chance to better assess your skills and how you work with patients. Certainly better than a single day, and fairer!”

Cho breathed a sigh of relief. She’d been so anxious coming in she’d nearly vomited. Trying to impress someone in a brief span of twenty-four hours was an incredible amount of pressure. Now she had more time. But that also meant--

“Excuse me, but why is he here?” Hannah shot in Draco’s direction. 

Cho nodded. “I was just wondering the same thing.” She wasn’t as familiar with Draco as some of the people in her year had been, but she knew enough to know he was bad news.

Draco blanched. Cho felt a little guilty, but he only had himself to blame for the way he was seen.

“Madam Pomfrey, I--”

She waved him off. “It’s fine, Draco. And call me Poppy.” She turned towards Hannah, still smiling.

“I know what he’s done. There are very few people who do not. And I am not asking you to forgive him.” She glanced at Cho. “But I am asking you to work with him. He’s worked just as hard as the two of you to get here and he deserves the chance to prove himself on his own merits.”  
Cho really wasn’t sure about that, but she held her tongue. She didn’t want to make a bad impression on her first day. Or a worse one, rather. She was pretty sure she’d messed up by questioning Draco. Poppy seemed pretty enamored.

“Yes, ma’am,” Hannah forced through gritted teeth. 

Poppy nodded cheerily. “Alright then! Classes start today, and so do we. I’m just going to have the three of you follow me around today. I may ask you some questions. When I do, I expect accurate and timely answers. Understood?”

All three of them nodded at once. 

The environment shifted considerably once Poppy waved the curtains open with a flick of her wand. The nervous energy that had filled the space was replaced by an almost palpable sense of excitement. This was it. She was really going to learn from a master matron-- she was going to have a chance to replace that master!

Cho had never been more excited about anything in her entire life. This was her chance to prove herself-- to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had what it took to make it in this field.

Poppy spoke as she hurried about the room, making sure everything was proper for the patients to come. “Now remember, our patients are our priority. They may be schoolchildren, but that only makes their safety and privacy even more important. Their names and their conditions do not leave this room except for where their parents are concerned, and sometimes not even then. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” all three of them echoed at once. Cho remembered how glad she had been that no one had seen her in third year-- it could have been so much worse. She could only do the same for the kids that came through that door.

Poppy took a look at the enchanted clock above the entrance to the hospital wing.

“Before we get started, does anyone have any questions?”

Draco raised his hand before Poppy had even finished speaking. Hannah gave him a queer look. Poppy raised an eyebrow, but her voice was as warm as ever when she spoke.

“Yes, Draco?”

“Where do we take lunch? Surely not in the Great Hall-- I never saw you there.”

He was right, but Cho wondered if this was really the time to be asking that sort of question. Still, she listened intently as Poppy answered.

“We do have a private space back here, but if you’d like to socialize with some of the other staff, there is always the teacher’s lounge…”

Draco looked as if he had bitten into something sour, and Cho wondered once again why the man was here. 

Poppy looked at each of their faces in turn before nodding once again. “Alright, then. Let’s begin.”

Cho looked expectantly towards the door, but it was a couple of hours before the first patient of the day presented themselves. In the meantime, the three of them got to work preparing potions. Poppy explained that this was something she normally did in the early morning before anyone else in the castle was up (save Filch and the ghosts)-- replenishing her stocks of basic remedies. It always paid to be prepared, she said, and Cho had to agree.

She found herself drifting closer to Hannah than to Draco. After all, Draco had been a part of the Death Eaters, and they’d followed that monster-- the one who had killed Cedric. 

Cedric. God, it still hurt to think about him, even after all these years...and thinking about him just led her to think about how miserable her last three years in Hogwarts had been...how painful…

She threw herself into the potionwork. She was good at it, and it took her mind off of sad things. 

Hannah grinned at her. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Being back here? I’ve got to be honest, I never thought you’d go off to be a healer.”

Cho laughed. “Neither did I! But that’s life, I guess…”

Hannah glanced down at the potion she was working on-- something to revert vomiting hexes. “Don’t they sell these?” She asked aloud, seemingly to anyone who would listen.

Poppy nodded. “They do. I keep some on hand for emergencies, but I much prefer to use fresh ones. They’re more potent.”

Hannah smiled uneasily and turned back to the cauldron she was working on. Cho could see now that she was as nervous as Cho had been a while ago. That only made Cho like her more.

Draco had retreated to the corner to work on his own potion. That was fine by Cho. She didn’t particularly feel like talking to a Death Eater-- especially when he was her competition.

They had just about finished with their potions when the doors burst open. Cho shot up immediately, heart pounding. Even this long after the battle, she still remembered what it was like to fight for your life. It was her own fault. She could have stayed away, stayed safely away from it all, but she’d come back to fight. She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself otherwise. It was still hard living with it now. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Draco flinch.

It was just a student. Well, a student accompanied by Headmistress McGonagall. She’d met with the woman before being accepted for consideration, but it was still strange to see her again-- especially looking as normal as she did. She had always been so stern…

Poppy rushed to greet the headmistress. Cho glanced first at Hannah, then at Draco, before setting down her cauldron and stealthily making her way over to the matron’s side. The others joined her seconds later.

McGonagall caught Cho’s eyes over Poppy’s shoulder and smiled. Which just warped Cho’s whole perception of the woman. She turned back to Poppy, her face stern once more.

“Madam Pomfrey, this is the student I told you about earlier. Why don’t you introduce yourself, Miss Wainwood?”

She put a hand on the girl’s back. She must have been a first-year, considering how small she was. The brown-skinned girl looked absolutely sickly. Her hair hung down in front of her eyes. It wasn’t until she looked up that Cho realized how sick she really was. 

Virulent green lines traced their way beneath her skin, spreading down from her face and into her neck. Her eyes were a pallid brown. She was clearly in pain. Cho barely held back a gasp.

“Hello,” she rasped. “I’m Esther.” She tried to smile, but even from here Cho could tell it was forced. 

Poppy tutted and crouched down so that her and Esther were at eye level. She took the girls hand and smiled warmly. “Hello, Esther. Your first day at Hogwarts! How has it been?”

The girl’s smile grew a little more genuine. “It’s good!” She frowned. “It would be better if I had friends.” Cho felt her heart break a little for the girl. 

Poppy exchanged a look with the headmistress. “Thank you for bringing her here, Headmistress. I’ll take very good care of her.” 

McGonagall nodded, shot one more smile Cho’s way, and then turned on her heel, striding off to do whatever it was Headmistresses did when they weren’t escorting students to the hospital wing.

Poppy was warm and gentle as she navigated the girl over to sit on one of the beds. She didn’t force her, even though she could have-- it was almost like a negotiation. This is one thing the books and the classes hadn’t prepared her for-- face to face with the patients. With kids…

The three of them edged closer to the bed Poppy had sat Esther on. Cho was curious-- so curious about what had happened to the girl. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “What’s wrong with her, Poppy?”

It had been the wrong thing to ask. 

The matron shot her a withering look dark enough to kill off daisies. But that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was the expression on the girl’s face-- she was hurt, and not just because of her condition.  
“Miss Chang, please refrain from asking inappropriate questions in front of the students. I thank you in advance.” 

Cho’s cheeks dyed themselves a deep red. Great impression to leave on your first day. Now she had to figure out a way to extract her foot from her mouth.

Poppy smiled at the girl kindly. “Miss Wainwood, if you don’t want them to know, that’s perfectly within your rights.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine.” She coughed, a wet, hacking thing. Cho frowned sympathetically.

Poppy stood up, hand still on the girl’s shoulder as she stood up to address the prospective apprentices. 

“As you know, this is Esther Wainwood. She is suffering from a very old, very wicked blood curse.”

Draco swore under his breath. At Poppy’s look, he stammered, “S-sorry, Matron.” Cho couldn’t stop the shiver that was crawling up her spine. Blood curses were awful things, lasting scars passed on through family lines for the sin of an ancestor (or ancestors). Most of them weren’t lethal, but they made the people who had them wish they were.

Cho could hardly imagine what this little Gryffindor girl was going through just being here. And now she felt even worse about asking what was wrong with her. Why did I do that? God!

Poppy continued, stone-facedly ignoring Draco’s little outburst.

“This blood curse causes chronic pain, feebleness, and a great deal of fluid build-up within the body. There is also the matter of-- ah.” The girl had stripped off one of her gloves and touched the flowers in the vase next to the bed. Something zipped from the tip of her finger and into the flowers, which vibrated angrily before curling into themselves.

Cho tightened her jaw, suddenly angry. How could anyone have done this to somebody else, let alone a little girl? 

“Anything Esther touches experiences deep pain.” Poppy folded her fingers against her stomach. “We’re here to alleviate her symptoms. What do you think is the best course of treatment for Miss Wainwood?”

Cho honestly had no idea. She’d never encountered anything like this before-- she hadn’t expected to encounter it here. Certainly, she hadn’t known of any student during her time at Hogwarts with something as severe as this. Really, this girl should have been at St. Mungo’s

Hannah, on the other hand, answered almost immediately. “Tremal’s Anti-Pain solution?”

Poppy shook her head. “It would seem like the obvious option, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, such pedestrian methods are ineffective on Miss Wainwood.”

“Yeah,” the girl agreed.

“The treatment for this particular blood curse is much rarer and much finer than that. Here, let me show you.”

She nodded towards Esther before shuffling off to the opposite end of the wing. When she came back, she was holding a finely engraved silver box. She set it down by the girl. Cho watched her attentively.

Poppy flipped open the lid and pulled something out-- or rather, several somethings. Thin white strings flew into the air. With a flick of her wand, the strings wrapped themselves around the girl’s arms. Cho watched the vivid green fade to a dull green and then disappear entirely.

The girl sighed in relief. Color returned to her eyes. It was a startling transformation to witness.

Draco’s eyes widened as he stepped forward. 

“What was that?”

Poppy smiled warmly. 

“Good medicine.” She rubbed Esther’s back gently. “You can take the gloves off now, Miss Wainwood.”

The girl grinned as she stripped the leather off her hands. She held her hands up to the sun, the rays of light shining through to her equally glowing face. “Thank you! Thank you thank you!” She hugged Poppy tightly. Cho blanched, but Poppy seemed fine. She didn’t start writhing in pain or screaming, so…

Poppy returned the hug and turned towards Draco. “Those strings are Wunderwallian silk-- the purest and best way of defeating a blood curse.” She rubbed Esther’s back. “Those will last you about a month. Come back on the first, okay?”

Esther nodded quietly. The expression on her face was indescribable. It was enough to make Cho’s heart swell with joy. This is what she could do, given time. This moment cemented it, made it real.

A smile spread across her face, as easy as butter sliding off a knife. 

She wanted to do this for the rest of her life.

“Alright, Miss Wainwood. We won’t keep you from your classes any longer. Off you pop,” the matron said cheerfully. 

Esther flashed a gap-toothed grin at them as she went. Cho waved her goodbye. It was funny. She hadn’t done anything, but she still felt great-- it was really something, helping the child in such a tangible manner. 

After the girl was gone, Poppy turned back to the prospective apprentices. She wore a rather more serious face than the one she’d shown Esther Wainwood. 

“Cho, please refrain from asking questions while I’m working with patients. Thank you!”

Cho shook her head, her mood soured by the reprimand. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t. Take your lunch for now and come back with a fresh outlook. There are more patients to be seen and more for you to learn.” 

She marched away from them and that was that.  
Cho wanted to scream. Not even halfway through the day and she’d already ruined her chances of winning the position. She’d just...reacted, without a single thought spared to what it would make her look like or the position it would put her in. Now she was kicking herself.

Hannah put a consoling hand on her shoulder and the three of them walked towards the space in the back. Maybe some food would make her feel better.

It certainly couldn’t make her feel any worse.


End file.
